Consequences of Lies
by nebula2
Summary: When events unfold that allow Emily Prentiss to come back, she, Hotch, and JJ must face the consequences of the lies told. Not all the team is going to accept it well. My take on the Emily coming back storyline - not cannon.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Okay, so I wanted to get this up before season 7 starts. I have been trying my best to avoid spoilers for the upcoming season so this is entirely my take on the situation. I don't expect this to follow canon and most likely contradicts the info that has been released, so if that isn't something that you're going to like then please, just don't read, you have been warned. With that being said, I hope all who do choose to read enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or it's characters nor the characters from Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior which appear in this story.

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><p>It was late. Being August the night was warm, though from SSA Mick Rawson's position on top of a building high above the streets of Augusta, Maine, there was a cool breeze blowing. Although, gazing through the scope of his sniper rifle, Rawson only had a limited view of the situation unfolding in front of the warehouse below. Flashing lights glimmered on the edges of his view, while his target and the agent he held hostage were dead-center.<p>

Ian Doyle had been located in the capital city of Maine, as he searched for the location of his son Declan, who he previously thought dead. Rawson's team had been given the go ahead to deal with Doyle by Fickler. Still reeling from the loss of Senior SSA Beth Griffin, the team had headed North with the determination of catching the man responsible for the death of SSA Emily Prentiss. Or more correctly, the presumed death of Prentiss. Rawson was one of the few people who knew the death of the raven-haired FBI and former Interpol agent was a ruse to protect her. Right about now, the British sniper would love nothing more than to make it possible for the ruse to end. Beth might be gone for good, but being able to bring Prentiss back to her team would make Mick feel like some sort of injustice had been righted.

Rawson would love nothing better than to put a bullet through Doyle's heart right now and if it wasn't for the hostage being in the way, he would do just that and deal with the consequences of not waiting for the order. However, Doyle was doing a good job at using his hostage, SSA Spencer Reid, as a human shield. Lurking in the corner of the loading dock of the warehouse, none of the agents or local police that were on the ground could get a clear shot on the man anymore than Rawson could. The fact that Doyle had the gun he was holding pointed directly at Reid's head kept them from trying to move in and apparently negotiation wasn't getting them anywhere.

~_And it probably won't. Doyle isn't the type of person who can be reasoned with_, ~ Mick thought, still looking through the sight of the rifle. ~_He's going to do whatever he thinks is necessary to get himself out of this situation and if he thinks he isn't going to make it out, he's going to take as many of us with him as he can.~_

"Rawson, do you have a shot?" Senior SSA David Rossi asked. Due to his greater experience in negotiation tactics, Rossi had been put in charge of the scene by Agent Hotchner.

Rawson was on a private channel with Rossi, as it had been arranged before the sniper had headed up to the rooftops. When Rawson had questioned the private channel, the senior agent had confided in him that he didn't see negotiations working. _"If it comes down to making a hard choice, then I don't need JJ or Morgan arguing with me while this is going on. I'll deal with them afterwards,"_ Rossi had told him.

"Negative," Rawson replied, reaching up with his non-trigger finger to key the radio. "Doyle is too skilled at using his hostage as a shield. The only way I'm going to get a shot is by creating the opportunity for one," the sniper informed the other agent.

"What's the risk to Reid?" Rossi asked, telling Rawson that the older agent had understood the implications of what he was saying.

Rawson could hear other voices in the background. He knew it was probably Agent Hotchner and his own unit chief, Sam Cooper. Though he couldn't make out what was being said, he had a feeling someone wasn't happy with how this discussion was proceeding. Rawson had a feeling that someone was Agent Hotchner.

"If I take a shoulder shot, it should startle Doyle enough for me to get a clear shot at him. There will be some recovery time, but all our people would get out of this alive," Rawson told him, still looking at his target through the sight.

There was silence on the radio. Mick Rawson waited patiently, his breaths coming in calm, slow intervals. He knew that Rossi would be checking in with the others on the ground making sure that no one had a clear shot. From his vantage point, Rawson knew that they wouldn't. Prophet and Gina were on the wrong side of the loading dock. They probably didn't even have a visual on Doyle. Cooper, Hotchner, Rossi and the local cops, who were using the vehicles as cover, were directly in front of the loading dock. From their vantage point, Rawson knew they would end up hitting Reid if they took the shot. Morgan and Detective Banks were on the side of the loading dock opposite of Prophet and Gina. The only way either of them were getting a clear shot was by putting themselves at risk by coming out from behind the crates they were covering behind.

Rawson had come to the warehouse with Morgan, Reid, and Dectective Banks after a report of someone matching Doyle's description going inside. The four of them had conducted a thorough search of the warehouse without finding any sign of the criminal. They had called the building clear, and had been leaving the warehouse via the loading dock when Doyle had appeared suddenly and grabbed Reid, who was the last to leave the warehouse.

"Rawson," Rossi said, getting back onto the radio. "You've got the okay to take the shots. It's our only option at this point."

"Understood," Raswson said.

Mick Rawson took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he took careful aim. He needed to be sure that the bullet entered at an angle that wouldn't allow it to ricochet into the chest cavity. The British sniper also knew that he needed to be ready to take the second shot quickly. It wouldn't take Doyle long to get over his surprise and when he did, Rawson knew Reid would be his first target. Then, Doyle would probably shoot as many officers as he could until someone took him down; Rawson didn't plan on giving the criminal that chance.

With the shot lined up, Rawson squeezed the trigger, sending the bullet flying through the air to its target below.

SSA Derek Morgan had taken up position behind some crates at the bottom of the steps leading up to the loading dock. He had his gun drawn, but it wasn't going to do him any good since any shot he attempted to make would hit his teammate. Behind him, Detective Banks had his gun out and pointed to the ground.

"You're not going to get out of here alive," Reid told Doyle, as the criminal held him against his body with one hand, while the other held the gun to the agent's head.

~_Don't antagonize him, Reid_, ~ Morgan said silently, waiting for Rossi's next orders. He didn't like not knowing what was going on, but givien his location near the loading dock he could only hear what Rossi said over the radio and what he said when addressing Doyle.

The sound of a gunshot kept Morgan from hearing Doyle's reply, and Morgan saw Reid's body jerk as a bullet hit his left shoulder. Even as Morgan cursed under his breath, assuming that Rawson had missed his intended target, and Doyle glanced quickly around for the source of the shot. Reid went limp in the criminal's arms as Doyle struggled to keep hold of the agent one-handed while shielding himself from further fire. When the criminal turned to try to get a better grip on his hostage, a second bullet sank into his chest, causing both men to crumple to the ground.

Morgan rushed forward, gun trained on the still body of Doyle. Footsteps behind him told him that Detective Banks was following him. Partially underneath the prone body of Doyle, Morgan saw Reid move slightly and relief immediately flowed through him; Reid was still alive.

At the top of the steps leading up the loading dock, Morgan cautiously moved forward.

"I've got you covered, Morgan," SSA Jonathan Sims said.

Morgan glanced briefly to his left to see the balding federal agent standing near the loading dock, gun drawn and pointed toward Doyle.

"So do I," Detective Banks said from behind him.

Morgan holstered his gun as he kept moving forward. Approaching Doyle and Reid, the federal agent kicked Doyle's gun out of the criminal's grasp before reaching down and moving him off Reid. Knowing he had to make sure Doyle was no longer a threat Morgan pressed two fingers against the side of the criminal's neck, searching for a pulse while studiously ignoring a groan from his co-worker.

"It's clear! Doyle's dead," Morgan called out.

Listening to Sims call the all clear over the radio and requesting the paramedics, Morgan turned his attention to Reid. The younger agent had turned over onto his back, his right hand pressing against his left shoulder.

"Reid, just hang on man, the medics will be here soon," Morgan told his fellow teammate reassuringly as he knelt down beside him. An ambulance had been dispatched to the scene and kept on call a short distance away since the start of the standoff. Reid's right hand was covered in blood already. "Is it just the shoulder?"

"Yeah," Reid said in a clipped voice.

"Let me see."

As Reid moved his hand away, Morgan could see the bullet hole. The metal projectile had entered just below the collar bone. It was bleeding excessively, and Morgan immediately pressed his own hand against it to apply pressure, eliciting another groan of pain from the younger agent. Morgan slipped his other hand behind Reid's shoulder, checking for an exit wound and not finding one.

_~It's finally over_,~ Morgan thought in relief with a quick glance at the unmoving body of Doyle. He didn't feel even a sliver of remorse. After all the people he had killed, Emily among them, Doyle deserved no less. There would be no lawyers trying to get him off on some kind of legal technicality and there would be no escape from the grave.

"How is he?" Hotch asked as he and Rossi converged on the loading dock.

"He took the shot in the shoulder and there's no exit wound," Morgan replied, his hand still pressed firmly against the wound on Reid's shoulder.

"At least I won't have to worry about being on crutches this time around," Reid quipped, his voice laced with pain.

Morgan smiled, slightly shaking his head. It wasn't long before two paramedics and their equipment were crowding around them.

"What about him?" one of the paramedics asked, nodding his head in Doyle's direction.

"There wasn't a pulse," Morgan told him, as he removed his hand from the bullet wound, allowing the other medic to press a dressing to the wound.

Morgan got to his feet, taking a step backwards. He stared at the scene before him as the two paramedics started working on his friend.

~_He's going to be okay_, ~ Morgan told himself as the medics hurriedly put Reid on a stretcher. The dark-skinned agent had been unable to follow their conversation but they seemed to be in a rush, which he wasn't sure was a good sign.

Morgan felt a hand come to rest on his right shoulder. Turning, he saw Hotch with the concern he felt mirrored on his supervisor's face.

"Go with them to the hospital," Hotch told him. "We'll meet you there when we get through here."

Morgan nodded, as the two medics lifted the stretcher and started heading toward the ambulance with their patient.

Morgan stood at the window of the waiting room a nurse had shown him. He stared out over the city of Augusta. In the darkness of the night, pinpoints of lights broke up the void. Even now, people were going on about their normal routines, unaware and unconcerned about what had gone down at the warehouse.

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><p>Footsteps behind him caused him to whirl around. He felt a wave of disappointment wash over him as he saw Hotch, Rossi, and JJ followed by Sam Cooper and his team walking into the waiting room; he had been hoping to see a doctor with word on Reid.<p>

"How's Reid?" Hotch said, asking the question that was on everyone's mind.

"He's in surgery to remove the bullet. That's all I've been told so far."

"He'll be fine. He'll have some healing to do but he's going to fine," Rawson said calmly, moving to the side of the room and leaning back against the wall. The British sniper crossed his arms and bent his knee to place his right foot flat against the wall. Not looking at Morgan he had no idea the effect his words were having on the dark-skinned agent.

"You're the one who shot him!"

"Yes, I did. I took the shot that would injure Reid the least, while still creating an opening for me to take down Doyle."

"You shot him on purpose!"

Morgan's voice had risen to a shout by now and he was seeing red. It was bad enough when he thought Rawson had shot Reid by accident. That his shot at Doyle had missed its target. The idea that he had shot Reid on purpose was incredulous. They were supposed to have one another's back out in the field.

"Would you have preferred that we let Doyle shoot him? I'm sure his shot would have been in a much more vital area," Rawson replied, his voice still calm and composed. Though he was now looking in Morgan's direction, he hadn't moved from the position he had taken up moments ago.

"You smug son-of-a-bitch," Morgan said, only slightly lowering his voice, as he started in Mick Rawson's direction.

Seeing the other agent coming at him, Mick straightened up, instinctively going into a defensive position. He didn't want to fight but he wasn't going to let someone just take a swing at him either.

Hotch, Rossi and Cooper all moved to put themselves between the two agents. Cooper and Rossi each looped an arm through one of Morgan's, while Hotch got in front of his subordinate.

"Morgan, calm down," Hotch said firmly.

"Calm down! You want me to just calm down. Reid is in surgery because of friendly fire and now I find out it was done on purpose. The last time a member of this team was in surgery they didn't make it off the table, Hotch!"

"You think I wanted to shoot one of our own guys," Rawson fired back at him. "I know what it it's like to lose a teammate, man! You don't think we're still trying to get over Beth's death? We were running out of options!"

"And if that bullet had gone somewhere other than his shoulder or ricocheted into his heart? Did you even consider that?" Morgan shot back, struggling against the three agents holding him back.

"Yes, I did. I took that and a lot of other things into consideration when I lined up that shot," Rawson replied, looking over the shoulder of Sims, who had stepped in front of his friend just in case. "I did everything in my power to make sure that the bullet would enter the shoulder and not ricochet. Yes I shot him, but I did it because I thought that was the only chance we had to save him and whoever else Doyle may have decided to take out. I'm not shirking that responsibility but don't you dare accuse me of not caring about the outcome."

Morgan was unsure what to say to that. However, he was still seeing red. "Let me go," he said, trying to shake off Rossi and Cooper.

The senior agents let go of Morgan's arms but didn't move away from him. Hotch still held his ground in front of the impetuous agent, ready for anything. He could see that Morgan was still angry, and the last thing he needed tonight was to break up a fight between two agents.

Morgan looked around at his co-workers. Rossi, Cooper, Hotch, and Sims had not dropped their guard, all of them eyeing either himself or Rawson. Rawson still stood in a defensive posture, his eyes focused on Morgan. Though he seemed calm on the outside, Morgan could now see the swirl of emotions in his eyes, the foremost being anger. JJ and Agent LaSalle, stood side-by-side just inside the doorway, watching the scene with concern. Morgan realized that there was one thing that was missing on each of their faces - surprise. None of them seemed surprised at the revelation that Rawson's shot at Reid had been on purpose.

"Am I the only one who didn't know that shot was on purpose?" Morgan asked, his eyes focusing on his own unit chief still standing in front of him.

No one answered right away, which answered Morgan's question for him.

"And you're all okay with that?"

"Morgan, Doyle had to be taken out," JJ replied calmly. "This was our opportunity to do just that. To finally bring an end to his reign of terror. To give closure to all the deaths that he was responsible for. No, this isn't the ideal resolution but given the situation it was the best we could ask for."

"And if Reid dies?"

"Reid's strong. He's going to be fine," JJ said.

There was such conviction in her voice that Morgan couldn't help wanting to believe those words. Still, he wasn't ready to concede that there hadn't been another way to resolve the situation.

"There had to have been another way."

"There wasn't," Rossi said. "The simple fact is, sometimes you need to shoot a hostage in order to end the stand off. Doyle wasn't going to give himself up. Either he was going to get his way and escape, with Reid and kill him later, or he was going to go down in a hail of bullets while taking out as many people as he could. Doyle dead with only one injured agent is a victory in my book; that's why I gave Rawson the okay to take the shot."

"You gave the order?" Morgan said, turning on Rossi.

Hotch took a quick step forward in order to place himself between Morgan and Rossi. He wasn't sure which was worse; Morgan's anger being focused on Rawson or Rossi.

"Yes I did and if put in the same situation, I would give it again."

What Morgan really wanted to send his fist into Rossi's self-righteous face, and he might have if Hotch wasn't standing between them. Instead, Morgan turned and took a few steps away from his co-workers, kicking at a chair and sending it tumbling a few feet across the room. Still frustrated though, Morgan punched the white drywall with enough force to put a dent in it.

Absently shaking his hand since his knuckles stinging from the impact, Morgan rested his left arm on the wall, his forehead coming forward to rest on it. His anger was still boiling as he struggled to understand how Rossi could be so calm about putting one of their own in danger. The dark-skinned profiler could excuse Rawson's detached view of the situation, as he wasn't part of their team, but not Rossi's. They had worked closely with one another for three years now and had thought the elder profiler had considered himself part of their family but a family didn't purposely put one of their own at risk. If Reid didn't make . . .

Morgan let that thought drift off, not wanting to dwell on it. He had lost Emily five months ago, despite having given it his all to rescue her; he had been just a few minutes too late. There were still nights that he woke up in a cold sweat from seeing Emily with the stake driven into her stomach in his dreams. He hadn't been able to save her, and as Doyle had held the gun against Reid's head tonight all he could think about was that he couldn't fail another teammate, Reid in particular.

Morgan fought back the tears that were welling up in his eyes. He wasn't going to cry in front of his co-workers. Feeling a gentle hand on his shoulder, he stiffened - ready to tell whoever it was to get lost.

"Morgan, I can understand why you're upset but beating up inanimate objects is not going to help anything," JJ said softly.

Morgan turned to face his blonde teammate. "No, JJ. I don't think you understand why I'm so upset at all. Apparently, I'm the only one who cares at all that we used one of our team, one of our family, to achieve a goal. Whatever happen to being there for one another? When did this all just start becoming just a job to all of you?"

Though Morgan's gaze was focused on JJ, both Hotch and Rossi knew that the words were directed at them too. Morgan saw JJ glanced over at her shoulder to the unit chief.

"Did any of you actually consider what this is going to do Reid beyond the physical aspects? The doubts he might have about any of us actually having his back after being shot by friendly fire. What the pain is going to do to him mentally and emotionally because you all know he won't take anything for it? This doesn't end here for him."

"We know that Morgan," Rossi said, speaking up before Hotch or JJ had a chance to. "However, first we had to save his life or all that wouldn't matter."

"It's all just black and white to you, isn't it Man?" Morgan said, his gaze focusing on Rossi for a moment before looking at Hotch and then back at JJ. "To all of you?"

"No, it isn't that simple, but sometimes you've got to do things you don't want to do in order to accomplish your goals in this job," JJ said calmly as she tried to make Morgan see what the rest of them already could. "You deal with the consequences after the situation is resolved."

Morgan felt defeated. He couldn't think of a way to argue with the media liaison's words. Walking the short distance to the chair he had kicked, he righted it and sat down. Sinking into in, he rested his elbows on his knees, letting his hands dangle between them and hung his head.

"I shouldn't have let him come out last but we thought the place was clear, Jayje," Morgan said quietly.

"This wasn't your fault, Morgan," she said, crossing over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder again.

"Wasn't it? I couldn't protect Emily and now I couldn't protect Reid, from our own people no less."

"You did your best, Morgan," JJ said, feeling a pang of guilt at the mention of Emily. The blonde media liaison longed to tell him that he had protected her. She wanted to tell him what Emily had said to her about Morgan's words being the one thing that had kept her holding on during that ordeal. That if he hadn't come when he had, and begged her to stay with him, that she would have let go.

"No, I didn't. If I had, Emily would still be with us, and Reid wouldn't be in surgery right now," Morgan told her.

Morgan got to his feet and ignoring the eyes of everyone else in the room which were on him, strode over to the window. Once again, he stood looking out over the city, waiting for news on the man he looked upon as a brother.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: So here is chapter two. Thanks to all who've alerted and reviewed and read the story! Glad to see this is going over well.

If any of you reading this are looking for the last chapter of "Eternal Changes" my beta still has it. She lost the first file I sent her so that is the cause for the delay. Hope to post it soon!

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><p>JJ glanced once again toward the two windows at the end of the waiting room. With his back to the rest of the room, Morgan gazed out one of them. Since taking up that position fifteen minutes ago, he hadn't so much as cast a glance over his shoulder. The blonde knew her friend and team mate was hurting.<p>

Derek Morgan had always been the self-appointed protector of the team. Sure he did a lot of joking and teasing, but he had never been one to allow those he felt were outsiders to do so. If there was a dangerous situation, Morgan always tried to take the lead. Always tried to put himself between danger and a teammate. JJ knew that he looked upon Emily's death as a personal failure. Knew that he felt this current situation was a personal failure. Though JJ knew that Morgan would take a bullet for any member of the BAU, she also knew that if Morgan had to choose between taking a bullet for Reid or anyone else, Reid would come first, every time. Morgan showed a greater fierceness with the protection of the young genius; he always had. JJ knew that it was Reid's injury - Morgan's perceived failure at protecting the young agent - that was causing Morgan's current anger.

Though she knew Morgan would be even angrier with her in the coming days, JJ felt the need to try and smooth over this current situation. Hoping that she had given him enough time to cool down a bit, she got to her feet. Glancing to her left, she found Hotch watching her. The messages passed silently between them, an ability that had developed during these past few months of keeping their secret, lying to their co-workers and family. She knew her eyes conveyed to him her intention of talking to Morgan and his almost un-perceptible nod told her that he wished her luck.

A few of the other agents in the room, including the members of Cooper's team, glanced briefly toward her as her footfalls echoed in the silent room. Still, Morgan didn't make any movement that he was aware of her approach. JJ could see the tension in his body, like a rattler coiled and ready to spring.

"How's your hand?" JJ asked, coming to stand beside him at the window. Her head turned in his direction. Morgan glanced at her and then down at his hand.

"It's fine," he replied absently, turning his attention back toward the window.

JJ glanced down at his hand. The blood from cuts caused by the drywall had dried on the dark skin. Even without a closer look, she could tell the knuckles were swollen.

"It doesn't look fine. Perhaps . . ."

"I said I was fine," Morgan said in a clipped voice as he turned toward her, raising his hand slightly before letting it fall, realizing what he was doing. "It's just a few scrapes."

Having involuntarily taken a step back when Morgan had started to raise his hand, JJ chose to let that particular subject go for now. Still, she wasn't about to walk away.

"Morgan, I understand how worried you are about, Spence. We all are, but don't you think that if there had been another way to end the stand-off without hurting him that we would have taken it."

"Maybe - No I know_ you _would have, JJ."

"Then let's not be angry with each other. We need one another's support. Reid is going to need all of our support."

"I plan on giving Reid all the support he's going to need. But, given the circumstances, I'm not sure he needs to see_ all_ of us - I think certain people should stay away."

JJ sighed. "Morgan, Rossi made the decision that he thought was best."

"I get that, JJ. It doesn't mean I like that decision and I can't forgive them."

"Them? Rossi and who, Morgan?"

"Rossi and Rawson. They purposely gambled with Reid's life and they're okay with it. Just another part of the job. I don't accept that JJ."

The older agent was still looking out the window, his face a mask of anger. JJ tentatively reached out, and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Spencer's going to be fine, Derek. You'll see."

Morgan nodded in response to her statement.

"You really should go down to the ER and get that hand looked at," JJ said, after a few moments of silence.

Morgan looked down at his hand again. Strangely, he hadn't even realized that he had banged it up when he punched the wall. Even now it felt numb, rather than painful; however he winced when he tried to bend his fingers into a fist.

"I want to be here when there's word on Reid's condition," Morgan said, looking up from his hand to meet her gaze, not about to admit it hurt to move his hand.

"Will you at least let me clean up the cuts?" JJ asked.

Morgan nodded, giving into the blonde on that point. Somehow he knew JJ wouldn't leave him alone until he gave some attention to the injury.

"Then have a seat, and I'm gonna get a nurse to give me some supplies," JJ told him, pointing to the chair she had vacated moments earlier.

As JJ left the room, Morgan slowly went over to the indicated chair and sat down. He was aware of Hotch's gaze on him, and eventually looked up to meet it.

"Do you realize the amount of paperwork I'm going to have to do because of that wall?" Hotch asked easily.

Morgan cast a glance at the corner of the room, where Rossi was standing, arms folded across his chest. The older agent was staring down at the floor, apparently lost in his own thoughts. "No, but I imagine it's still less than if it had been Rossi's face," he countered, his gaze meeting the unit chief's once more.

"He made the call that he thought was best," Hotch replied, supporting his old friend.

"Sorry if I can't agree with it."

"No one is asking you to. For the sake of my sanity though, can you not punch anything else? Strauss is already going to be reading me the riot act when I get back."

"I'll give it my best shot," Morgan replied, as JJ walked back into the room, first aid supplies in her hand.

Rearranging the waiting room chairs, JJ was soon seated in front of Morgan. Using the first aid supplies she had retrieved from a nurse, the blonde tended to Morgan's scraped knuckles, mentally comparing his injury to those Henry received from his adventures as the young boy explored the world around him. She had to smile a bit as she heard Morgan hiss when she cleaned out the shallow cuts on his knuckles. ~_Men can be such babies_,~ she thought, continuing her ministrations.

As she finished wrapping the sterile bandage around Morgan's hand, JJ reached for the ice pack giving to her by the nurse. Squeezing the package to break the seal, JJ shook the contents for a few minutes before reaching out to place it on top of Morgan's hand.

"Keep that on your hand for at least twenty minutes," JJ instructed him.

"Yes, ma'am," Morgan said lightly, surprised by the stern tone in the media liaison's voice. Then again, JJ always had been a bull dog when it came to certain things. Though the blonde had changed in her time away from the team, the fierce determination that often burned in her eyes hadn't diminished.

Morgan leaned back in the chair he was sitting on, his left hand holding the ice pack in place. Though he wasn't about to admit to it, the cold application felt good to his now throbbing hand, as the numb feeling had gone away. It wasn't long before another voice broke the quietness of the waiting room.

"Is there an Agent Hotchner here?" A man, dressed in green scrubs, his hair still covered by the cap required to be worn in an operating room, scanned the room as he waited for a response to his question.

Beside Morgan, Hotch got to his feet. "I'm Agent Hotchner," he said, walking across the waiting room toward the doctor - Morgan steps behind- and the other agents following. The unit chief saw the doctor's gaze take in the others crowded in the room. "Everyone here is a federal agent. Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of them."

The doctor held Hotch's gaze for a moment and then gave a curt nod. "Agent Reid came through surgery without any complications. We were able to remove the bullet that remained intact upon entry into the body; it was stopped by the shoulder blade. There is a small hairline fracture of the shoulder from the impact, and some minor damage to muscles and ligaments which were repaired. Overall, Agent Reid is lucky that the damage was minimal. He'll need to keep the shoulder immobilized for a week or so, wear a sling for a while after that, and do some physical therapy, but I expect him to make a full recovery."

There were several audible sighs of relief from the agents gathered around Hotch.

"Can we see him?" Morgan asked.

"I think it would probably best if you all waited until morning visiting hours," the doctor replied. "He'll be waking up from the surgery within the hour but he's still going to be out of it for a while. Rest is the best thing for him right about now."

"I respect that doctor, but I know Agent Reid quite well. I think he'll be able to rest better if he sees a couple of us even if it is only for a few minutes. Could Agent Morgan and I have a few minutes with him before we leave?"

The doctor silently contemplated the request, his eyes holding the federal agent's gaze. Finally, he gave a slight nod. "He'll be in recovery for the next hour or so but if you want to wait and see him when we move him to a room, I'll authorize it."

"Thank-you. I would like a private word with you if you can spare a few moments?" Hotch asked.

The doctor nodded and led the way out of the waiting room. Finding a secluded spot in the hallway, the doctor turned to face Hotch. The unit chief explained Reid's past issues with Dialaudid and his desire to avoid narcotics altogether. After assuring Hotch that he would make a note in Reid's chart, the surgeon took his leave and the unit chief headed back into the waiting room.

Standing just within the doorway, Hotch looked around the still gathered agents. "I want you all to head back to the hotel and try to get some sleep. Those of you who want to come back and see Agent Reid can do so in the morning. I'll arrange for the jet to fly back to Quantico tomorrow afternoon. There is no reason for all of us to be hanging around Augusta now that our objective has been completed. Good work everyone," Hotch told them.

As he stopped speaking, he looked to JJ, silently telling her that they would speak in the morning of the issue that still had to be addressed. He saw her nod of acceptance even as Agent LaSalle came up beside the blonde, speaking quietly to her.

While the federal agents started filing out of the waiting room, the only words passing between them those necessary to make sure everyone had a ride back to the hotel, Morgan slipped from the group. Alone, he headed back to the window, his own waiting not yet done.

Rossi paused in front of Hotch as he headed toward the doorway to the waiting room. He held out the keys to the SUV that he and Hotch had driven over from the scene.

"Do you plan on explaining things to Reid?" Rossi asked, making eye contact as he asked the question.

"He deserves to know," Hotch said.

Rossi nodded, not about to argue the point. "You'll let me know if he wants to see me tomorrow before I head back to Quantico?"

"Dave, he'll understand."

"Morgan doesn't."

"Morgan is just upset. He'll come around."

"And you think that Reid won't be upset? Intellectually, he'll probably understand the reasoning behind the decision but he still is human. Emotions have a way of toying with intellect. Hell, I'd probably be upset if I found out a fellow agent shot me on purpose." Rossi paused. He gave a sigh before continuing. "It wasn't a popular move but it is one that I believe was necessary."

"I know that, Dave. You've got my support on the call all the way, though. I'll do my best to get Reid to understand."

Rossi nodded in acknowledgment. The senior FBI agent still expected his young teammate to not want to see him in the morning once he found out the details of what happened.

"What about you and Morgan?" Hotch asked.

Rossi glanced over his shoulder at the other agent who once again stood staring out the windows.

"I'll give him some time to calm down. . . I think that once he's assured that Reid will be okay I can make him see reason. For now, I'll keep my distance - less my jaw ends up looking like that wall."

Hotch allowed a small grim smile at the statement. At least Rossi had an understanding of the situation. With any luck he wouldn't have to deal with paperwork and disciplinary actions resulting from blows being exchanged between the two of them.

"Good work tonight, Dave," Hotch said, reaching out and grasping the older man's shoulder.

Rossi nodded before headed out of the waiting room, leaving Morgan and Hotch alone. With the others heading back to the hotel, Hotch was faced with nothing to do but wait. Turning, he headed toward the closest chair, planning on trying to make himself comfortable while he waited for word that Reid had been moved to a room. To pass the time, Hotch contemplated the best way to break the news to Reid about what had happened.

* * *

><p>A hour and a half later, Hotch and Morgan were still sitting in the waiting room, having received little information on Reid. A nurse had stopped by about forty minutes previously, saying that Reid had woken up from the anesthesia but was still in recovery. She had assured them that she would come get them as soon as Reid was settled in his own room. So far, the only nurse that had come back into the waiting room had brought Morgan another ice pack for his hand. She had made the suggestion that the dark-skinned profiler get an x-ray of the hand, to which Morgan had shaken his head in reply.<p>

That had been about five minutes ago, and as Hotch cast a glance at his subordinate now he considered ordering him _again_ to get the hand looked at by a doctor. He knew that anything less would simply get him the answer of 'I'm fine'. Before he could open his mouth though, another voice broke the silence of the waiting room.

"Excuse me, Agent Hotchner?"

Both men turned their heads in the direction of the doorway to see a petite redhead dressed in black scrubs standing there. Both men recognized her as the nurse who had stopped by with the update on Reid a while back.

"Agent Reid is now settled in his room. If you'd like, I can show you there."

"Thank-you," Hotch replied, as both he and Morgan got to their feet.

"I think it's good that the two of you waited to see Agent Reid. He's been agitated since he woke up from the anesthesia," the nurse said, as she led the two federal agents down the hallway toward the elevator. "He calmed down some when I told him a couple of his co-workers would be in to see him shortly. Hopefully you can calm him down enough to allow him to sleep, since that's what he really needs right now."

"We'll try our best," Hotch said, as the group entered the elevator. Although silently he wondered if the information that he was going to give Reid would calm him down or just get him more agitated. Not for the first time, he considered waiting to tell Reid the truth about what had happened at the warehouse, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Reid would be asking questions about what happened and trying to avoid those questions would definitely agitate the younger agent more than the truth would.

As he leaned back against the hand railing, Hotch glanced over at Morgan, who was standing on the opposite side of the small enclosure from him, still holding the ice pack to his battered knuckles. The younger agent's face was still a storm cloud, and Hotch knew that trying to explain things with Morgan present would only make a tough task even harder.

"Morgan, I know you want to see Reid," Hotch began in a low but commanding voice, "but I want some time alone with him first." Hotch could see the defiance in the other agent's eyes and held his hand up before Morgan had a chance to speak. "This isn't open for debate. I need to talk to Reid without anyone interrupting. Once I've done that, I'll leave and you can see him alone. You've waited this long. Ten or fifteen minutes more isn't going to hurt."

Morgan eventually nodded, though he still didn't look happy about the arrangement.

The elevator came to a stop and the nurse led the federal agents onto the ninth floor of the hospital. Turning to her right, she led them past the nurses' station and down the hallway. There was little activity on the floor at this time of night, and as the nurse paused in front of a closed door, her voice seemed to echo on the otherwise quiet floor.

"Here you go," she told them, waving a hand at the door. "Any questions or concerns can be addressed to any of the nurses on duty," the nurse informed them, pointing to the nurses' station.

"Thank-you," Hotch replied.

"You're welcome," the nurse replied.

Without another word, she headed back in the direction they had come. Alone now with Morgan, Hotch cast a glance at the other profiler before taking a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, Hotch took a step toward the closed door. He knocked softly on it, even as he started to push the door open.


	3. Chapter 3

Reid had his eyes closed as Hotch walked into the room, and a quick glance showed that the second bed in the room was unoccupied. At the sound of the door opening, Reid opened his eyes.

"Hey, Hotch. Is it just you?" Reid asked, sounding a bit groggy.

"Morgan is outside. I sent the others back to the hotel once we got the report that you were out of surgery. Your doctor doesn't want many visitors in here tonight," Hotch replied, letting the door close behind him as he walked toward the bed.

"That's good," Reid replied. "They need their rest after the hours we've put into this case. It's bad enough that I've already kept them awake this long hanging around the hospital."

"We all just wanted to be sure that you were going to be okay." Hotch pulled the blue plastic chair that was sitting against the wall closer to the bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked, as he sat down.

"I've definitely felt better, though the pain isn't too bad as long as I don't try to move my arm."

"Well, I don't think they want you moving that arm anyway," Hotch replied.

"Hotch they didn't . . ."

"Relax," Hotch told him, knowing exactly what question Reid was trying to ask. "Morgan made sure the paramedics knew, and I touched base again with your doctor here. The only thing you've been given is some Ibuprofen and that was mostly to help with the inflammation."

Reid nodded, a wave of relief going through him. As bad as the pain was going to be, he knew it would be better than the possibility of facing another detox. Having been down that road once, he didn't care to repeat it. He had gotten through getting shot in the knee with little pain medication; he could certainly get through a shot to his shoulder. The pain would end eventually, unlike the addiction which would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"I probably shouldn't even be taking that."

"Reid, controlling the inflammation is important to your recovery so I better not hear about you refusing that medication." Hotch paused and gave a small smile. "Besides, from what I hear JJ and Morgan make quite a tag team in that department."

"Oh. So you heard about that?"

"You should know there aren't many secrets on this team," Hotch told him, hoping he wasn't displaying the cringing feeling he felt at the words. "Besides, you're not alone in this. I think we've all learned from past mistakes and we're not going to make those mistakes a second time."

Reid nodded his head slightly, knowing exactly what his supervisor was getting at with his cryptic words. To this day the only one he had ever come right out and admitted his addiction to was Morgan, and that was only after the dark-skinned profiler had confronted him. Although, he knew the entire team, with the exception of Rossi, was aware of it.

"We'll figure out which one of us will stay here in Maine until you're released to . . ."

"No one needs to stay here. I'll be fine."

"Reid, one of the team will be staying nearby. If you had family who could be here with you, it would be different. I don't want you here alone."

"Hotch, we're already short-handed since Seaver left. With me out of commission for who knows how long, you can't spare anyone to baby-sit me."

"We'll manage. It isn't like you're in a local hospital that someone can stop by and check on you. What if something goes wrong? Someone is going to stay nearby until the doctor clears you to make the trip home. Somehow, I have a feeling Morgan is going to insist on being the one to stay."

"I'm sure he will. But Hotch, I'll be fine. Really."

"It's not up for debate and don't even bother with any of your second opinion lines, Doctor."

Reid let out a sigh, knowing he wasn't going to change the unit chief's mind.

"Fine I won't, but somehow I don't think that's really what you came to see me for, is it?" the younger agent asked.

Hotch took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was time to breech the subject he had planned on discussing, much as he would have preferred to avoid it. "No it wasn't - we need to talk about what happened tonight. I put Rossi in charge tonight because he has the most experience in negotiation tactics. I felt that letting him call the shots out there would give us the greatest shot at achieving a favorable outcome."

"Rawson didn't just miss with the bullet that hit me, did he?" Reid said, taking Hotch by surprise.

Hotch blinked a few times as he tried to figure out how it was that Reid had come to the conclusion he had. It was like the young agent had read his mind, though he knew that it wasn't possible. For all his amazing talents, reading minds was not one that Dr. Spencer Reid possessed.

"No, Rawson didn't miss," Hotch finally admitted, restraining himself from asking how Reid had come to that conclusion as he wasn't sure he wanted the detailed answer that was sure to follow. "But Reid, you've got to understand that we were in a tough situation. There wasn't going any negotiating with Doyle and if he left that warehouse with you - well I don't think I need to put the outcome into words."

"No sir, you don't."

"Nobody had a clear shot, Reid, and we couldn't let Doyle leave. Agent Rawson felt confident that he could create an opportunity to take out Doyle with minimal risk to you." Hotch paused, taking a calming breath. "Even so, is wasn't a decision that was made lightly. If . . . "

"Please stop, Hotch. I know that none of you would put me in danger if there was a way to avoid it and I don't need reminded just how dangerous Doyle is. He killed Emily. I'm reminded of that every time that the memory of her funeral replays in my head," Reid told him, his voice growing softer as he said the last words.

Hotch looked at the younger agent with concern. After the grief assessment that Strauss had made him do on the entire team, the subject of Emily's death had not been brought up directly with Reid or anyone else other than JJ. Looking at the anguish that was on Reid's face and echoed in his voice, the unit chief wondered if he had made a bad choice. If he shouldn't have followed up on his talk with not only Reid but every other member of the team. In normal circumstances, he would have but this was hardly normal.

Hotch had found it hard to sit there the first time while his team, his 'family', struggled with their grief all the while knowing what he did. Knowing that the coffin that had been buried at Emily Prentiss grave that day had only held a dummy designed to make it feel as though her body was inside it. Though he had known the truth, watching each one of them suffering and knowing that he could end that had been just as hard as actually losing Emily would have been. Even now, the mention of the raven-haired profiler caused that guilt to flare up.

"I wasn't about to let him take another agent away and neither was Rossi," Hotch said, choosing his words carefully. He knew that shortly the deception that he was apart of would come to light and it was going to be hard enough to regain their trust when it did. Hotch didn't want to add to that now that the deception was just about over. "If there was another way we would have taken it but the only option we had was to rely on Rawson's skill as a sniper."

"He's supposedly the best shot in the FBI," Reid commented. "Though this wasn't exactly how I wanted to test out that theory."

"I'm sure it wasn't," Hotch conceded. "The point I'm trying to make is - yes we knew the decision was a risky one but given all the information that we had and the situation we were in . . ."

"Stop! I understand the rationale behind the decision. I do! But I don't want to hear it. Not tonight!"

Hotch stopped, a bit surprised by the reaction and then decided to let it go. He knew Reid was under a lot of stress and had a lot that he needed to process. "Fine. We'll shelve the conversation for now, but it will be continued at a later date. This needs to be discussed and not just swept under the rug," Hotch told him.

Reid nodded his head slightly.

"Can you send Morgan in now?"

Hotch nodded as he got to his feet. "I'll see you in the morning then, and I'm sure JJ will be with me. Dave wanted me to ask you if you wanted him to stop by or not."

Reid hesitated in answering. He had no desire to see Rossi, or Rawson for that matter, right now nor did he want to hurt anyone's feelings. Rossi had been trying to save him and Reid recognized that even if the method wasn't sitting well with him right now.

"Not now," Reid finally replied quietly. "I think I need a day or two."

Hotch nodded realizing that despite the tough calls Rossi had made tonight, the senior agent had a good understanding of what was going on.

"I'll let him know," Hotch said, as he headed for the door. "I'll send Morgan in."

Reaching for the door handle, Reid's voice made him pause.

"Hotch, tell Rossi it's not so much that I'm mad at him but that I need some time to sort things out."

"I will but I can assure you that he understands," Hotch replied.

Turning the door handle he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Morgan, who had been leaning against the wall across from the door, stood up straight at the sight of Hotch.

"How is he?" Morgan asked.

"He seems to be doing well, all things considered," Hotch replied, more than willing to excuse being cut off by the younger agent given the circumstances.

"Of course he seems fine, Reid's always 'fine'." Morgan nodded in the direction of the closed door. "Is he up to seeing me?"

"He asked for you actually."

As Morgan took a couple of steps toward the door, Hotch placed a hand on his arm. Morgan glanced down at his supervisor's hand and then up at his face, his eyes silently asking what he wanted.

"Morgan I know your upset with how things went down tonight but don't show that in there. He wasn't receptive to discussing what happened and the nurse did want us to try calming him down. I don't think I did too well on that account."

"Understood. Is there anything else?"

"I told him someone would stay here in Augusta while he's in the hospital, and that I thought it would probably be you."

"Of course, I'll stay here. Under the circumstances I think I'm the only one really qualified."

"Morgan . . ."

Morgan shook off Hotch's hand. "If that's it, I'd like to not keep my friend waiting."

Hotch nodded. "I'll wait for you in the car."

Morgan nodded and then took the last few steps toward the door. He knocked lightly on it, before pushing the door open and slipping into the room.

"I can't let you out of my sight for a minute, can I?" Morgan said lightly, as he walked across the room to the bed. Ignoring the chair Hotch had occupied, he stood by the side of the bed, letting his hands rest on top of the side rail.

"What happened to your hand?" Reid asked, ignoring Morgan's teasing question as he took in the banged up knuckles on the older agent's right hand.

"A wall got in my way," Morgan said casually. "It's nothing."

"A wall, really? I didn't know those could move."

"Very funny, smart ass," Morgan said, a smiling coming to both agents' faces. Growing more serious, Morgan spoke again. "How are you feeling? And I don't want to hear the word fine come out of your mouth."

"I'm okay."

"Reid."

The younger agent sighed, hearing the warning tone in Morgan's voice. This was Morgan he was talking to and he knew his friend wouldn't let the matter drop until he got a satisfactory answer.

"Well, the shoulder hurts like hell but I feel lucky to be alive. I thought Doyle was going to . . . "

Reid's voice trailed off as the younger agent swallowed hard. Reaching down with his left hand, Morgan grasped the younger agent's right hand.

"It's over, Reid. Doyle is dead and you're safe," Morgan told him.

"But it's not over. Not really," Reid told him, closing his eyes as he continued to talk. "I don't know how long I'm going to be out of work and even when I do go back I won't be in the field for a while. Garcia's going to love that."

"You two will work it out," Morgan said, remembering how the two had stepped on each other toes while Reid was recovering from getting shot in the knee. "My Baby Girl is just going to be happy to hear that you're okay."

"Yeah, until I'm hanging out in her office when the team is off on a case," Reid said. Pulling his hand away from Morgan's grasp, the young genius ran his hand back through his hair. "We were already short even with JJ back and now this. I shouldn't have let my guard down. Rossi never should have been put in the position he was."

"Hey Kid, this isn't your fault. The three of us declared that warehouse clear. None of us thought Doyle was still in there. Obviously it was the wrong call, but no one person is to blame. Do you understand me?"

Reid nodded though he kept his eyes closed and with his hand behind his head, his arm blocked Morgan's view of his face. Reaching out, Morgan gently pulled Reid's arm away so that he could see his friend.

"Reid, look at me," Morgan demanded, pausing as he waited for Reid to comply with the request. When the younger agent was looking at him, Morgan continued. "None of this is your fault. Doyle got the upper hand on us and unfortunately you were the one he was able to grab. After that, things were kind of out of your control."

"If I had fought harder . . . "

"Doyle might have shot you in the head," Morgan said cutting off the younger agent. Though he had planned on keeping his own feelings out of his conversation with Reid, Morgan felt his anger rising as he continued to speak. "You did what you had to survive and Hotch and Rossi made the calls that they thought were necessary given the situation." ~_Even if they were the wrong decisions, ~_ Morgan added to himself, barely refraining from speaking the words out loud.

"Morgan, I'm alive. I'll recover. The team can't function if we're all mad at one another," Reid replied calmly. "Is that when you decided to punch the wall? When you found out that . . ."

Though Reid had let the words trail off, Morgan knew what the younger agent had intended to say. The fact that he hadn't been able to finish the sentence told Morgan that Reid was bothered by the events of tonight. Recalling Hotch's words and the fact that their presence was supposed to calm the younger agent down, not upset him more, Morgan decided it was time to change the topic.

"Hey, don't you worry about me. It's not the first wall I've punched and it probably won't be the last."

"Ain't that the truth," Reid said lightly, his eyelids drifting close briefly as sleep tried to claim him.

"Things are going to be fine, Reid," Morgan said, with a conviction that he really didn't feel. "We'll have time to discuss all of this later on. Right now, let's just be grateful that everyone got out of this situation alive and that Doyle is dead. He's not going to be able to hurt anybody else."

"It doesn't bring Emily back."

"No, it doesn't but after everything he's done, Doyle deserved what he got tonight and I've got to believe that wherever Emily is, she's relieved to know that he won't be able to hurt anyone else that she cares about. That was why she went after him in the first place."

"Morgan, I still miss her."

"I do too, Kid," Morgan replied, reaching out to grasp his friend's hand. "But Emily would want us to keep living our lives."

"She also wouldn't want us angry with each other, no matter what's happened."

Morgan nodded. "I hear you, Kid, and I'll deal with it. I promise."

"Good, because I don't want any of us angry at each other. I know how heavy a burden anger can be."

"You know you have your father's number now," Morgan said, knowing what Reid was referring to. It had been awhile since his friend had mentioned the father who had walked out of his life and then had come back into only a few years ago under some unusual circumstances. Reid had left Las Vegas that time with William Reid telling him that if he could ever find it in his heart to forgive him then to give him a call. "All you've got to do is give him a call."

Reid shook his head. "I couldn't deal with the chance of him walking out of my life a second time. It was hard enough the first time."

Morgan wasn't sure what to say to his friend. As he searched for some kind of reassuring words, he watched Reid's eyes drift shut again briefly before his friend forced them back open again.

"You really should try to get some sleep Kid," Morgan said. "We'll have time to finish this conversation later."

Reid nodded.

"I could stay . . . "

"I'll be fine, Morgan. Go back to the hotel and get some rest yourself."

"I don't mind . . ."

"It's bad enough that you'll be staying in town baby-sitting me. You at least need to get some decent sleep yourself. Maybe get that hand x-rayed."

"The hand is fine," Morgan replied, feeling mildly annoyed and getting the feeling that hovering around Reid's hospital room would probably produce the same feeling from his friend. "I'll see you later this morning then. Get some sleep."

"I don't think that's going to be a problem. I can barely keep my eyes open now."

"Then I'll be on my way. If you need anything . . ."

"I know your number, Morgan. Go. Get some rest and at least put some ice on that hand if you're too stubborn to get it checked out."

"Yes, Doctor," Morgan said lightly, giving Reid's hand a gentle squeeze before starting out of the room.

"Hey Morgan," Reid said. Having only taken a couple of steps, Morgan turned and looked back toward his friend. "Can you smuggle in some good coffee tomorrow? Hospital coffee always sucks."

Morgan smiled. "I'll see what I can do, Kid," he replied before leaving the hospital room.

* * *

><p>"We're not saying a thing to the team, until we know for sure what Emily is going to do," Hotch said into the cell phone, as he sat in the front seat of the SUV. "If she decides not to come back then perhaps it's better if they never know the truth."<p>

"So we keep lying to them?" JJ asked.

"Do you want to be the one to tell them that Emily is alive but she doesn't want to come back to D.C.?"

"I hope she'll come back. I know we did this to keep her safe but I've missed her and I want her back with the team where she belongs."

"Emily is the only one who can make that decision."

"I know. I'll arrange to be on a flight for Rome tomorrow after I stop in to see Reid."

"Book to passages to Rome, JJ," Hotch told her, looking around the area to see if Morgan was making his way toward the vehicle yet.

"Two? Who else is going? Giving the circumstances I think you're going to have your hands full here."

"I will. Agent Rawson will be going with you. He's already aware of the situation, having used his connections to help set things up to begin with and I don't want you going over there by yourself."

"I'm a big girl, Hotch. I can take care of myself."

"You're a FBI agent under my command and you'll be going on this assignment with back-up or not at all. Do I make myself clear?" Hotch told her, spotting Morgan approaching as he glanced out the passenger side window.

"Yes, sir," JJ replied.

"I've got to go. Morgan's coming. We'll touch base again in the morning before the two of you leave. For now, get some sleep, JJ"

"You too, sir."

Hotch ended the call just as Morgan reached the SUV. He tucked the phone into his jacket pocket as the dark-skinned profiler slipped into the passenger seat.

"Who were you talking to?"

"JJ. She called wanting another update on Reid," Hotch replied, as he slid the key into the ignition.

Morgan nodded, easily accepting the explanation. As the engine roared to life, Hotch wondered if he had to keep lying to his team, or if he could finally come clean.

_~And if I do come clean, will they ever be able to trust me again? ~ _Hotch asked, as he backed slowly out of the parking space.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: This is the next to last chapter. Expect the final chapter tomorrow or Wednesday morning! Thanks to everyone who has alerted, read and/or reviewed this so far!

* * *

><p>SSA Spencer Reid sat on the edge of the hospital bed staring at the wheelchair that the nurse had brought in. It was a relief to be in his own clothes instead of the hospital gown, even if he had needed help getting dressed since he couldn't yet use his left arm. The nurse had showed Morgan on how to put on and adjust the shoulder immobilizer he was still required to wear. Still, as much as he hated being dependent on someone he hated being in hospital more. Granted, he wasn't going home but the prospect of stay at Morgan's while therapy was started was much better than the alternative. It was the prospect of leaving the hospital that was allowing him to ignore the dull throbbing in his temple for now.<p>

"I only hurt my shoulder. The wheelchair isn't necessary," Reid protested to the nurse, Arlene, who was waiting patiently behind the wheel chair. The red-head had been a regular on the floor during his week-long stay at the Augusta hospital.

"It's hospital policy, Dr. Reid," Arlene stated easily, as it was her regular response to the frequent protest made by most patients leaving the hospital.

"Come on, Kid. Let the pretty lady give you a ride to the front door. It won't be the end of the world," Morgan said from his spot at the foot of the bed, his left hand resting on Reid's go-bag. He still favored his right hand, which was sore even though the swelling had gone down and the only evidence of his injury were the scabbed over scrapes. At least he knew nothing was broken as he had given in to Reid's insistence that he get it x-rayed the afternoon following the younger agent's surgery.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking out of here. Can't you let things slide just this once?"

"I'd get in trouble. You don't want to get me into trouble now do you, Dr. Reid?"

"No," Reid replied and then paused. He gave a drawn out sigh. "Fine, I'll use the chair, but it's still unnecessary."

Reid got up from the bed and settled himself in the wheelchair. Arlene pushed the footrests down for him to put his feet up on. As the nurse undid the brakes, Morgan placed the bag in Reid's lap.

"As long as you're riding you can make yourself useful and hang onto that," Morgan told him.

Reid looked back over his shoulder at Arlene, who was standing behind him now. "Do not let him push this chair," he told the nurse.

"Understood," Arlene said with a smile. "You ready?"

"Most definitely."

Arlene turned the chair around and headed out of the hospital room. Morgan followed the two of them to the closest elevator and in a matter of minutes the trio had reached the ground floor. As they made their way toward the entrance, Arlene started to say farewell to her patient.

"You take care of yourself Dr. Reid, and let people give you the necessary help so that shoulder can heal properly," Arlene said.

"I will. Thank-you for all you've done this week," Reid told her.

"Oh, it was nothing. I wish all my patients were as easy to deal with as you were," Arlene told him cheerfully. She lowered her voice as she addressed Morgan, who was following her. "Good luck. Despite his endearing qualities, he's one of the most stubborn patients I've ever had to deal with."

"I'm quite aware of how stubborn he is," Morgan told her, as the group made their way through the front doors.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the bright sun caused Reid to wince, as the throbbing in his head - which he'd been steadfastly ignoring - kicked up a notch. He raised his right hand to shield his eyes, a gesture that drew Morgan's attention.

"You okay, Kid?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah, fine," Reid replied, letting his hand drop but still squinting.

Morgan took his sunglasses from where they had been hooked onto the collar of his shirt, and flipping them open, handed them over to Reid.

"Thanks," Reid commented, taking the glasses without protest and putting them on.

"Another headache?" Morgan asked.

Reid nodded and immediately regretted the action. This wasn't the first one he'd had during his stay, the headaches still plaguing him even though he was in the hospital. In fact, he'd had one of his worst ones ever a couple of days ago. He had snapped at just about everyone who had come into the room, and the nausea had resulted in him refusing two meals. By the end of the evening shift, Arlene, who had stayed and worked a double that night, had been the only nurse who would come into the room. He had let the doctor run some tests, half-hoping he might find an explanation that the D.C. doctors had missed but the results remained the same: there was no physical explanation for the headaches. Reid was left with only possible psychosomatic reasons for the pain, a possibility that Reid didn't want to dwell on.

"Did it just come on?"

"It's been there most of the morning. The sunlight seems to be making it worse, though."

"Why didn't you say something before?" Arlene asked from where she stood behind him, hands still on the handles of the wheelchair.

"I didn't want to risk the chance of you guys not letting me leave. No offense, but I want out of here. "

"No offense taken. I feel the same way quite often at the end of my shift," Arlene told him. "We could wait inside while Agent Morgan gets the car," she suggested.

"I'll be fine."

"Sure, Kid. But I'm going to get the car while you wait here," Morgan told him.

Not giving Reid a chance to protest, Morgan grabbed the go-bag from Reid's lap and headed across the parking lot. Arlene tried again to convince Reid to wait inside but he refused he though she promised they wouldn't keep him. When Morgan pulled the SUV up to the curb, she made sure the breaks were on, and moved the footrests out of the way. She said a final good-bye and waited until Reid was seated in the passenger seat of the vehicle before heading back into the hospital.

"We'll be at the airport before too long and you'll be able to relax on the plane," Morgan said as he drove toward the parking lot exit. "If you don't feel better by the time we get home I'll call Hotch and tell him we'll . . ."

"I'm sure I'll be fine to make the meeting, whatever it's about," Reid commented, not for the first time wondering what it was their unit chief wanted to see them about that was so important that not only couldn't be discussed over the phone but couldn't be off until a later date. He hoped Hotch didn't want to resume the discussion about what had happened that night at the warehouse because despite spending the last week in the hospital, Reid still wasn't up for that conversation.

Reid leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes behind the borrowed sunglasses. Morgan remained silent, figuring that now was not the time to argue the point. He could worry about the issue once they landed in Virginia.

Pulling out of the parking lot, Morgan found himself driving just below the speed limit, carefully watching for potholes or uneven spots in the pavement that might jar Reid's shoulder. Still, it seemed like the trip from the hospital to the airport was unusually bumpy and Morgan found himself thankful that they weren't driving the entire way home.

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling, Kid?" Morgan questioned as the two made their way off the jet.<p>

"The headache isn't as bad," Reid replied. He had slept most of the flight and was glad that the pain in his head had diminished to a dull throb.

Morgan gazed at him critically, trying to gauge the accuracy of his friend's words. "You know you don't have to pretend with me, Pretty Boy. I'm sure you're probably tired and most likely in pain. We could just head to my place and I'll call Hotch and tell him that you weren't feeling up to coming in after the plane ride. I don't need to tell him more than that."

"No. Whatever he wants to see us about, it must be important. Let's just get in over with," Reid replied.

Reluctantly, Morgan nodded in consent, deciding this issue wasn't worth a possible argument. Besides, maybe it was better to find out what their supervisor wanted now rather than putting it off and wondering.

The two profilers made their way to the FBI academy. The ride from the airport had seemed long but by the time they reached the bullpen on the sixth floor, Morgan thought that getting from the entrance to Hotch's office was going to end up being longer. It seemed like every few feet someone was stopping them and inquiring on how Reid was doing. Everyone that was, except for any of their teammates, whom Morgan assumed were all in their respective offices. Morgan eventually took to telling people as they approached that Reid was fine and that they had a meeting they needed to get to. This allowed them to finally reach Hotch's office and it was then that Morgan he noticed that the blinds for both the unit cheif's and Rossi's office were pulled.

Morgan glanced over at Reid as they reached their destination. Based on the expression on the younger man's face, the dark-skinned profiler was certain that Reid's headache had gotten worse. He was about to suggest they put this off again, but was unable to before Reid reached out with his good arm and knocked on the door.

"Come in," came Hotch's response to the knock.

Reid pushed open the door and walked into the office. With no other option readily available, Morgan followed him in. Hotch looked up at them from his seat behind his desk as they entered.

"Have a seat," Hotch instructed, and his voice held an all business tone to it as he waved his hand toward the black leather couch against one wall.

As Morgan and Reid headed toward the couch, they noticed the office's other occupant. Sitting in one of the chairs opposite of the couch was JJ. The media liaison was dressed impeccably and her poise echoed the business like attitude of Hotch's voice. Both men also noticed the serious set to her face though her eyes took on a softness as she watched Reid sit down on the couch across from her.

"How are you feeling, Spence?"

"I'm fine," Reid replied, the familiar two word answer slipping out easily after having repeated it so many times on his way here.

JJ looked at him skeptically, gauging for herself how her friend was. She had seen the stiffness in his movements as he walked across the office. Had seen the pain that dulled his eyes as she had caught his gaze for the briefest of moments. Watched now as he sank back against the couch, his whole body revealing his exhaustion. And it tore at her heart that she was going to cause him more anguish with what she was going to tell her friend. JJ glanced to her left as Hotch sat down in the second chair.

"I know you're probably tired after your trip and want to get home," Hotch began, his gaze on Reid as he said the words.

"Well, yes I am on both accounts; however, going home is exactly an option right now. I would like to get to Morgan's though."

Hotch nodded, choosing to ignore Reid's correction of his comment. "I'll try not to keep you long then. However, there is something that I feel the two of you need to know and it's best to get it out in the open now."

"Hotch, what's going on?" Morgan asked, an ominous feeling settling over him at the older man's words.

"You know that Prentiss went after Doyle on her own because she knew that he was after her and if she stayed here, her presence would put us all at risk. She left to protect us. When we failed to capture or kill Doyle at that Boston warehouse, that meant that that Prentiss would be in danger for as long as Doyle was at large - or that she was alive."

"Why are you bringing up the past, Hotch? We already know this." Morgan paused and took a deep breath. "Emily died at the hospital because I wasn't fast enough to save her. Yeah, Doyle is dead now but that still doesn't bring her back."

Hotch glanced over at JJ. He knew he was being a coward but he couldn't bring himself to say the words. To admit to his two agents sitting across from him that he had been lying to them.

JJ took a breath. "Actually it does. Emily didn't die on the table like I told you. As Hotch said, she was in danger as long as Doyle was alive and we felt that the only way to protect her was to fake her death and for Emily to go into hiding overseas."

A silence fell over the office as Morgan and Reid processed what they had just been told. It was Reid who broke the silence.

"You lied to us," Reid said, as he sat up straighter. The four words were softly spoken but held a bitterness that cut like a knife.

"I did what I had to do to protect a friend. To protect my family," JJ said, her hand reaching out to find Reid's who flinched back and pulled his hand out of her reach.

"Prentiss is alive?" Morgan asked, his mind still trying to wrap itself around the concept.

"Yes. She is alive and back in the United States now," Hotch told him. "With Doyle taken care of, it was safe for her to return. To reclaim her real identity."

"This is . . . I can't believe it," Morgan said, shaking his head slightly.

"It's a lot to take in all of a sudden, I know."

"How could you know what it feels like to take in this information," Reid said, looking up at Hotch as he spoke again. "You knew all along she wasn't dead. You sat there and listened to me tell you how I felt about losing her when you knew it was all a lie. Sat there and attempted to make me feel better about Doyle taking Prentiss away from us when in reality it was the two of you that took her away - not Doyle."

"I can understand how you could feel that way."

"Stop it! Don't try to placate me," Reid said getting to his feet.

"Spence, sit down and let's talk . . ."

"There's nothing to talk about," he replied, as the young genius made his way around the back of her chair and started for the door. "You lied to me. Emily, Hotch and even you - you all lied to me. I don't know who I can trust anymore," he said reaching for the door knob.

Before he could open the door, a dark-skinned hand was covering his own. Looking up, Reid found himself looking into the dark eyes of Morgan.

"You can trust me, Kid," Morgan said softly.

"Ye-yeah, I know, Morgan. You seem to be the only one I can. The only one who wasn't okay with me getting shot to accomplish the goal or who hasn't lied to me," Reid said, with a quick glance toward Hotch and JJ. "But please, let me leave. I won't, I _can't_ sit here and listen to them try to justify this. I can't." Reid was pleading with Morgan to understand.

"Sure Kid, leave if you need to. But I don't want you going off alone."

"I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can, but I don't want you to have to do that. Not right now. Don't shut me out, Reid," Morgan pleaded. He saw Reid give a very slight nod. "I can understand you not wanting to deal with this now, but I need to, so why don't you go wait for me in my office? You can be alone, and I don't have to worry about where you are. Then, when I'm done here, we'll head back to my place."

Morgan's suggestion got him another nod in reply and he lifted the hand that was covering Reid's. The younger agent opened the door and left Hotch's office. Taking one step out of the room, Morgan watched Reid head toward his own office; only stepping back inside once the young genius was out of sight. As he closed the door behind him, Morgan glared at his two teammates still sitting in the chairs. Reid was right. They had lied to them all but unlike Reid, Morgan needed details. He needed an explanation in order to deal with the situation though he had a feeling that things between himself, Hotch, and JJ would never be quite the same. He could understand the whole concept of faking Emily's death to protect her from Doyle. The man was ruthless. Nothing short of death would have stopped him from his vendetta. Prentiss knew that, and her actions had made Morgan understand that. However, there was something he couldn't understand.

"What I don't get is why you two didn't think you could trust us. Why didn't you let us in on the plan. Did you not think we would do everything in our power to protect Emily?"

"I tried to get permission to tell you all," Hotch replied. "However, the decision to protect Prentiss by faking her death was made by the director himself. He decided who could know and who would be left in the dark."

"The director of the FBI was personally involved?"

"Ambassador Prentiss can be very persuasive," JJ supplied.

"Emily's mother knew about this?" Morgan asked in disbelief. He had stopped by to pay his respects to his fallen partner's parents. The two had seemed genuinely grief stricken. So much so, that no one questioned the explanation given that they were not able to attend their only daughter's funeral due to personal reasons. Everyone had assumed they wanted to grieve in private.

"When Ambassador Prentiss became aware of the danger her daughter was in, she started doing whatever she could to protect her. The idea of her daughter going into hiding and possibly not being able to see her again was preferable to having Doyle continuously trying to kill not only Emily but whoever he felt was in his way to getting to her. The Ambassador and her husband could have become targets themselves."

"This is crazy," Morgan said out loud, shaking his head.

"We did what we felt we had to do."

"So, I'm supposed to accept that as a valid reason for why you lied to us? Why you betrayed my trust? Reid's trust?"

"Morgan, I can understand you feeling betrayed but we did it to protect Emily. To protect the team," JJ said.

Morgan shook his head. "I'll buy that you did what you felt you had to do to protect Prentiss but you didn't protect the team. What you and Hotch did could very well tear this team apart," Morgan said, thinking about not only his feelings of betrayal but of Reid who couldn't even able to deal with the situation right now. "You lied to us! Do you expect us to just put that behind us and go on not questioning everything you tell us? I don't know about the others, but for awhile I know there is going to be a little voice in the back of my head asking 'can I trust what they're telling me'. Hell, Reid won't even deal with this right now! You _know_ how much trust means to him, and yet you lied to him for five months! I'm sure he's in my office right now questioning everything that has happened since March! How are we supposed to be a team if we can't trust each other?"

"I get what you're saying, Morgan, - I do - but I believe it was worth it," Hotch said. "My actions protected Prentiss and made it possible for her to come back to her old life. I can find a way to live with the consequences and seeing her again only reinforced that feeling."

"Emily is already back in town?"

"Yes. Agent Rawson and I brought her back the day after Doyle was killed," JJ replied. "Whether she'll stay with the BAU or not hasn't yet been decided, and it's mostly up to Emily, but she is in D.C. for now." JJ paused and shared a look with Hotch. "Actually Morgan, Prentiss is in Rossi's office right now and wants to see you if you're up for it."

Morgan remained silent for a few moments trying to recover from this second shock. Not only had he found out that the teammate he had been grieving for is alive but that she is in the room next to him. He was starting to feel like following Reid's example and just running from the whole situation. They could head back to his house and down a few beers. This situation certainly warranted it.

"Are you ready to see her, Morgan?" Hotch finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.

* * *

><p>Reid stepped into his friend's office and let the door shut behind him. Walking over to the room's lamp, he turned it on and shed light into the room. Next, the young genius turned to the windows looking out onto the corridor beyond and turned the slats of the blind to block out the view. He didn't want to deal with anyone right now - not well-wishers and certainly not his so called teammates. Teammates who had lied to him. They had betrayed him, just like his father had done so many years ago. Just like Elle, who despite his attempts at helping her, had turned her back on them all. Just like Gideon who had walked away from all of this with only a letter in his wake. And now Hotch and JJ had lied to him and joined that list. And they had the audacity to console him in his grief when they knew there was no reason for it. He felt like a fool.<p>

Walking back toward the desk, Reid made his way around it and sank down into the chair. Leaning his head back against the chair he closed his eyes, trying to ignore the throbbing in his temples that had only grown worse at Hotch's announcement. Swallowing hard, he tried to ward off the tears that were building up behind closed eyes. Whether the tears were from the headache or the turmoil of feelings within him, Reid wasn't sure - not that it mattered.

Five months. Hotch and JJ had lied to him for five months. It made him wonder what else they may have lied about. Did they even really care about him or was that a lie too? A way to keep him with the team because of his abilities. Their admission was making him question everything. Made him feel relief that he had never mentioned the headaches to either of them.

Just like back in March, Reid felt as if his world was unraveling around him. Back then he had lost a good friend. Someone he had trusted. Someone he had confided in. It had taken time, but he had rebuilt the world that had unraveled to the best of his ability. Now, people were pulling strings again. Threatening to destroy everything he thought he knew. Rossi had given the order for Rawson to shoot him to take down Doyle and Hotch and JJ hadn't stopped him. Now they had just dropped a bombshell on him by telling him that Emily hadn't really died. That she had walked out of his life like his father, Elle, and Gideon had before her.

Perhaps none of this was fair. Given the events of the past week, he was stressed out - wasn't thinking right. But would time really changed things. A week from now the fact that they had all - except for Morgan - had lied to him would still be there. Nothing could change that.

Maybe the doctors were right. Perhaps the headaches were psychosomatic and he was going crazy. Reid certainly wasn't sure what currently constituted reality anymore. The constants of his life were in ruins around him.

"_You can trust me, Kid."_

Morgan's words came back to him. Morgan, Reid could trust Morgan; actually at the moment Reid felt that he could _only_ trust Morgan. He had stood by him through this chaotic time. He knew things about his past that others didn't. Was one of only two people he had told about his headaches. It was Morgan who had been there through the nightmare his life had became after his experience with Hankle. Yes, Morgan might tease him from time to time, but he was the one person who had never lost faith in him and had always been there, strong, regardless of what words Reid had thrown at him.

Reid hoped that Morgan would stay consistent and not betray him; the trust he had in his teammate was the only thing keeping him grounded at the moment. Reid feared that if Morgan ever joined the list with Gideon and the others , his mind _would _fracture. As the tears finally started, the young agent reached up and put his right forearm across his eyes. For the first time in his life, Reid wished he was still back at the hospital. That he could hide within the monotony of sterileness of it's confines. He cried for the betrayal of his teammates, for his inability to deal with his emotions, and for the fear that the one person he'd always counted on might one day join everyone else and leave too, one way or another.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: So here is the conclusion. Special thanks to my beta peanutMeg for putting up with me! There is no reason to fear for your life - I love my Beta! Thanks to all the readers, especially those who took the time to review, fav, or alert the story - you guys are wonderful. **

**Also - check out the 2011 Profiler's Choice CM Awards Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum here on and nominate your favorite story for an award.**

* * *

><p>A half-hour later, Derek Morgan walked out of Hotch's office and crossed over to the railing. He felt drained - both physically and emotionally. Placing both hands on the cold metal, he looked down at the three desks he and his two teammates use to share. Those times seemed so far away now. He had left that little group first, taking up occupancy in what had once been Agent Hall's office. Then Prentiss had been taken from them leaving only Reid out in the bullpen. Right now, all three desks sat empty and Prentiss was in the office he had just left while Reid was, hopefully, in Morgan's office down the hall. After the hell of the last five months, all three of them were once again in the same building, and yet Morgan felt as if they had never been further apart.<p>

Seeing Emily again seemed surreal. The relief he felt at knowing he had been in time to save her was overshadowed by the fact that nothing could ever be the same between them again. Still, he couldn't find it in him to blame her for what she had done. She had gone into hiding to not only to protect herself but to protect the people that she cared about. To protect him. Though he couldn't comprehend the emotional toll that action and those months of isolation had taken on her, he had seen the inner turmoil in her eyes as he had wrapped his arms around her. He was grateful to have her back again. His anger was reserved for others; for Hotch, JJ, and Rossi. People who couldn't validate their betrayal. A betrayal to not only him but to Reid as well.

Morgan's eyes fell on Reid's neat, empty desk and he drew in a deep breath, trying to summon the strength to go to the younger man. As drained as he felt, Morgan knew that right now he couldn't give in to those feelings. He had to be strong for Reid.

Tearing his gaze away from the desk, Morgan pushed away from the rail. Without even a glance at either Hotch's or Rossi's office, not wanting to know if any of his teammates were watching, he left the bullpen area. It wasn't long before Morgan was rapping gently on the solid wood door of his office with his left hand as his right reached for the doorknob. It seemed silly to be knocking on his own office door, but he wanted to give Reid some warning of his appearance.

Walking into the room, Morgan caught the last swipe of Reid's hand as he attempted to clear away the last traces of tears. Unfortunately, the action was futile, as the red, puffy, brown eyes that looked up at him gave Reid away. Not wanting to embarrass Reid, Morgan chose to make no comment of it as he pushed the door shut behind him.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Reid commented, obviously hoping to keep the conversation away from him by starting it.

"In a way I have," Morgan replied. "I saw Emily."

Morgan could see the shock his words caused on Reid's eyes. Shock mixed with many other emotions, all of which vanished too quickly for Morgan to identify, leaving only pain and fear visible.

"Emily is here," Reid whispered as Morgan walked across the room toward the younger man sitting behind the desk. As he got closer, Morgan watched what little color that had been in Reid's face drain quickly, though he didn't let those emotions change his facial expression. "It must have been a relief for you to be able to see her. To know you were in time to save her."

"Yeah it was." Reaching his desk, Morgan perched on its corner and looked down at his friend. "I'm glad I was able to protect a friend and though it hurts that she let me think I hadn't been in time to save her, I can understand it. She did what she had to do to survive. If she hadn't Doyle would have tried to kill her or someone she cared about."

"I know."

"But you still can't forgive her?"

"It's not about forgiveness . . ." Reid told him, looking down at the desk. "It's like with the decision that Rossi made in Maine - I understand the logic of it, but the situation isn't as simple as that." There was a slight pause and then the next words were said so softly that they were inaudible even though Morgan leaned in closer in an attempt to catch them.

"What was that?"

Morgan's inquiry received a mumbled 'never mind' and it was his turn to sigh. He knew the longer he let his friend retreat into himself the harder it was going to be to get him to open up, and the last thing Morgan wanted to do was to watch Reid self-destruct. "So you're doing it to me too, huh Kid?" Morgan said, still looking down at his friend. The question caused Reid to look up at him, confusion written on his face. "Seems like everyone's hiding things from me - Rossi, Hotch, JJ," Morgan paused and made sure to catch Reid's eyes, "and now you."

The questioning look left Reid's face to be replaced by panic at that thought. "I do trust you, Morgan. You're the only one I _can_ trust right now."

"Then talk to me, Pretty Boy," Morgan insisted, his own voice commanding and pleading at the same time. "What has you so upset?"

"Morgan don't leave? Please! If you left I don't know what I would do."

"Hey, where did you come up with the idea of me leaving?" Morgan asked, reaching out to rest a hand on Reid's good shoulder.

"Everyone else has. Every time I think I've got people I can count on they leave. It never fails."

"Reid, the team . . ."

"What team? There is no team right now, Morgan! Seaver left because she couldn't handle things here. From what I can tell, you would probably rather have your hands around Rossi's throat than sit down and discuss a case with him right now and I'm not even sure where I am with Rossi either. Hotch and JJ lied to us and now I can't help but wonder if everything they've ever done or said has simply been about getting what I could provide them. You guys were my family and now . . . now it's like I've got nothing."

Morgan squeezed the shoulder his hand was resting only gently. "You've got me."

"For now, maybe. But even you can't control the future, Morgan."

"Kid, for as long as I am breathing I'll be here for you, just a phone call away. That's the best promise I can give you that I know for certain I can keep. I promise you, Reid."

"Everything seems to be falling down around me and I don't know where to even start to pick up the pieces."

"Kid, you're physically and emotionally exhausted right now, just like me. Let's get you back to my place, where you can get some rest, and then we'll start figuring out how to pick up the pieces together. You're not alone, Kid. Just don't shut me out."

Reid nodded. Morgan wasn't sure if the nod was an agreement to leaving or his plea, or maybe an agreement to both, but he didn't question it. Right now, all he wanted to do was get Reid away from the BAU and back to his house where the younger man could get the rest that would at least aid the physical healing he had to do. The emotional healing was going to take quite a bit longer to occur ~_if it ever does_,~ Morgan added silently as he helped Reid to his feet.

Morgan held onto Reid's good arm right above the elbow, for his own comfort as much as trying to reassure Reid, as they left the office. The road the two of them were about to travel was going to be long and bumpy. Morgan was glad he had told Hotch he was taking a couple more days off of work to deal with things. The last thing he wanted to do was leave Reid alone in his current emotional state.

_**Three Days Later:**_

Derek Morgan walked into his house and was surprised by the fact that Clooney didn't come to greet him. The only time the German Shepherd didn't meet him at the door was when he came home from a case; then the dog was still at the neighbor's house, rather than at home, and so he physically couldn't greet Morgan.

"Clooney," Morgan called out, expecting the dog to come running. He didn't.

Morgan pushed the door shut and crossed the living room before knocking on the door to the spare room where Reid was staying. Living in really, as the genius had rarely come out of the room since they had come here after their meeting with Hotch. He knew from the others that he had turned off his cell phone, refusing to talk to any of them. Morgan was thankful that Reid was talking to him, as long as he avoided the subject of Emily Prentiss. Once he mentioned their co-worker's name Morgan knew from experience it would be hours before Reid would talk to him again.

When he didn't get a reply, Morgan tried the door knob. It turned, and he pushed the door open, sticking his head into the room only to find it empty. Reid's cell phone was sitting on the bedside table next to the lamp. Concern rising, Morgan continued his exploration of the house. He eventually found his way to the back door, and stepping onto the back porch felt relief wash over him. Reid was sitting on one end of the glider, Clooney's front paws and head in his lap, as the dog took an afternoon nap. Morgan smiled at the sight as Reid slowly turned his head to look at him.

"He wouldn't go away," Reid replied, gesturing to Clooney with his right hand. "Maybe the 'Reid Effect' is broken?"

"He's just worried about you. Dogs can sense when something isn't right," Morgan replied, sitting down in one of the wicker chairs. "I'm glad to see you outside. The fresh air will do you good," he added, his keen eyes looking over the pale face of his friend.

"How was work?" Reid asked, as if he hadn't heard Morgan's comment.

"A whole lot of paperwork and no one to push it off on," Morgan replied.

Today had been his first day back since returning from Maine, having gone back because continuing to hover over Reid would have only caused more problems. The younger man still needed help with dressing and bathing due to the sling and immobility of his shoulder, but he was improving. His recovery was progressing on schedule, though, which was why Morgan had felt comfortable going back to work.

Reid smiled at that response, though paperwork sounded like a good distraction to him right about now.

"Hotch says the team got the okay from Strauss to start doing more than just the consultations we've been doing since Maine. I expect them to be leaving for a case tomorrow."

"Them?"

"I won't be going. Being at work is one thing, Kid. If you need something all you've got to do is give me a call, though that would require you to actually turn your cell phone on," Morgan told him.

"You've got a house phone," Reid countered.

Morgan allowed a small smile. "Anyway, for now, I'm not leaving town. I'll give them what help I can from the office. We'll see how Garcia likes me breathing down her neck."

"Knowing her, she'll probably enjoy it."

"She asked about you, Kid. Wanted to know how you were doing and when she could stop by." Morgan watched Reid closely as the younger man leaned his head back against the cushion of the glider. "If you're up for visitors I could invite her over for dinner. I was thinking about doing a stir fry on the grill," Morgan suggested. The choice of menu had just come to him, but he figured as Reid had finally ventured outside, keeping him here as long as he could would do the young genius some good.

"Go ahead," came the soft reply.

Morgan nodded even though Reid couldn't see the gesture with his eyes closed. It wasn't the enthusiastic response he had hoped for but at least he hadn't refused.

"I'll go give her a call then," Morgan suggested, starting to stand up.

"Morgan, hold on a moment," Reid requested. Morgan settled back down in the chair, waiting for Reid to continue. "How are you and Rossi getting along?"

Morgan was surprised by the question. He wasn't sure where Reid was going with this line of thought. Was the younger man going to try to play peacemaker?

"You know Rossi and I butt heads over issues all of the time, Kid. We might not ever see eye-to-eye on them but we figure out how to move past it eventually. I'm sure this will be just the same, we just need some time."

"Then you wouldn't want Rossi to come over here?"

Morgan felt even more perplexed. "What are you trying to get at, Kid?"

"As you so subtly hinted at with the cell phone comment, I can't just keep avoiding everything. I need to start dealing with things and at least I can understand the issue in Maine logically. I've also talked things out with Rawson, so perhaps I should attempt to work things out with Rossi."

"When did you talk to Rawson?"

"Today, after I talked to Agent Cooper."

Morgan moved forward in the chair so that he was sitting closer to the edge. He wasn't sure he liked where he thought this conversation might be going. "What did you have to discuss with Cooper, Reid?"

Reid swallowed hard before answering. "There's an opening on his team and I wanted to see how he would feel about me filling it, given how things are right now."

"Why Kid?" Morgan asked, feeling dread at the thought of Reid joining another team.

"I don't want to be the bad guy. I won't be the reason that Prentiss doesn't stay with the team," Reid replied.

The mention of their recently returned from the 'dead' teammate took Morgan by surprise. He had made one attempt to talk to Reid about Emily when they had returned from the BAU that day. The younger man had closed up on him, telling him he didn't want to talk about it. When Morgan had pressed further, telling him that Emily wanted to see him, Reid had locked himself in the spare bedroom until the following morning. Morgan had not brought up the dark-haired agent since then, figuring the best thing to do for now was to let Reid deal with things on his own timing.

For now, Emily Prentiss was back with the team. Rossi had openly accepted her, apparently understanding the reasoning behind her faked death and taking it in stride. Hotch and JJ were of course fine with the raven-haired profiler being back. As for himself, and his initial meeting with her, Morgan knew he couldn't be angry with Prentiss for faking her death. After all, she had only been trying to survive and protect those she cared about. He had found himself hugging her moments after she had walked into Hotch's office that afternoon. This was his partner. The partner that_ he had _been in time to save. Though their conversation that afternoon had been brief, Morgan's concern for how Reid was doing making him cut it short, the two had talked several times since then. Things would never be the same between them, but they were going to be okay, at the very least.

"No one is going to blame you, Kid," Morgan assured him.

"I'd blame me. Everyone else is dealing with the situation - making the best of it - except for me. And I'm not sure I want to. I feel like I've been betrayed by everyone I thought I could trust."

"I know about betrayal. I've dealt with myself. Am dealing with it right now. Hotch and JJ lied to all of us, Reid. I'm going to be doubting things they say for a long time, wondering if I can believe them or not. I know how delicate trust can be and I hope I haven't done anything to shatter your trust in me, Pretty Boy," Morgan said, thinking of Reid's use of _everyone_.

"It's not that you've done anything." Reid paused and looked down at his hands. "It's just that I feel so betrayed right now, it's hard to believe in anyone." Reid looked over at Morgan, his brown eyes filled with pain and regret. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize, Kid," Morgan told him softly. Leaning forward, he reached out and placed his hand on Reid's knee, holding the younger man's gaze. "I know you've been hurt by everything that's been happening, maybe more so than any of the rest of us, but let me assure you that I'm here for you. Whatever you need, all you've got to do is ask."

"You've already done so much . . ."

"I've done nothing that you wouldn't have done for me if our places were reversed."

Reid nodded, absently reaching out his good hand to stoke the fur on Clooney's neck.

"Then please understand when I tell you I'm not sure I can come back. Not after everything that's happened."

"Then you're joining Cooper's team?" Morgan asked, feeling disappointment at the thought but knowing that Reid had to do what was best for him.

"I don't know. Agent Cooper said that if I wanted to join the team, he would be more than willing to have me but that now was not the time to make that decision. He said he was in no rush to fill the spot and that we could discuss it further once I returned to work."

"Good. That will give me time to try to convince you otherwise."

"Morgan, I . . ."

"No, I want you to listen to me, Kid. I'm not going to pretend that I'm okay with you talking about joining another team when I'm not. I don't want you to leave. You're an invaluable member of the team, a trusted partner, and one of my best friends. I want you on the same team as me because I want to be the one to watch your back. At the same time, if you decide that joining Cooper's team is what you need to do, I'll understand. Either way, you'll always be one of my best friends."

"Morgan, I don't want to be the reason that Emily goes away again, but I'm not sure I could work with her either. I lost her once. I dealt with that and now you're all asking me to put myself in the position to have to deal with that all over again. I'm not sure I can. But it isn't just that either. I'm not sure I can face Hotch and JJ every day after what they've done."

"Life is about taking risks, Reid, you probably know that more than anyone, being from Vegas." The comment coaxed a small smile from the younger agent. "Look Kid, I know you've seen your share of heart ache and as much as I would love to be able to protect you from any more, I can't. What I can tell you is that if you start shutting people out you're just going to be very lonely."

Reid nodded his head slightly. "I know. Maybe . . . maybe if I can work things out with Rossi . . ."

Morgan nodded. He took his cell phone from its clip and handed it to Reid. "Give Rossi a call. See if he'll join us for dinner. I promise to be civil," Morgan told him as he got to his feet. He was glad Reid was starting to deal with things even if doing that was going to lead to him joining another team. It wasn't like they wouldn't still be friends, and if Reid was happier that way . . . but he wasn't going to dwell on that possibility right now. Nothing was final. He still had time to convince Reid not to leave. "I'll go use my house phone to call Garcia and then I'll get dinner started."

* * *

><p>Leaving Garcia to watch over the grill, where the steaks were sizzling next to the vegetable basket that held the rest of the ingredients for the stir fry, Morgan headed into the kitchen to gather plates, a serving bowl, and utensils, so they could enjoy their meal on the picnic table out back.<p>

So far things were going well. Garcia had actually managed to get a smile out of Reid when she had presented him with the get well basket she had made up for him. Morgan had been surprised the thing didn't float away with the number of balloons that had been tied to it and had made a comment to such. Garcia's response had been to stick her tongue out at him.

Morgan was putting the utensils in the bowl so he could carry everything out when the doorbell rang. He left the stuff on the kitchen counter and headed for the door. A quick glance out the peep hole told him that it was who he had expected - David Rossi.

"Hey, Rossi," Morgan greeted neutrally when he pulled open the door. He couldn't say he was happy to see the profiler but this whole thing wasn't about him right now. Rossi was here because Reid wanted to talk to him.

"Morgan," Rossi replied just as neutrally as he stepped into the house. "How's Reid doing?"

"Physically, as well as can be expected," Morgan replied as he pushed the door shut behind Rossi. "Emotionally, well the smile Garcia got out of him a little while ago is the second smile I've seen from him today and he seems more relaxed right now then he has been."

"And you think my presence here is going to ruin that?" Rossi asked finishing the sentiment.

"You know, for Reid's sake, I was going to just ignore what happened but as you brought it up. Damn it, Rossi! You gave the order to shoot him!"

"You think that was an easy thing for me to do? You don't think it doesn't weigh on me every night when I go home and sit with my doubts and replay events wondering if I missed some little opening that would have allowed for another outcome? That night in Maine will stay with me the rest of my life just like Waco and Ruby Ridge."

Morgan was silent as he digested those words. The FBI had taken a lot of flak for those two incidents from the public who viewed them as failures. Just like he viewed the outcome in Maine a failure, despite the object being achieved. For Rossi to group Reid getting shot in with those two events told him that the older profiler was not taking the incident lightly.

"I get it, but I can't agree with your decision Rossi. I can't accept friendly fire as a successful result."

"I know that. You're not me, Morgan. I knew it wouldn't sit well with you and that was why I didn't let you in on what was going on beforehand," Rossi replied. "I'm not asking for your approval, Derek, and I don't expect you to understand it; you're too close to Reid for that to be possible, but what I _am_ asking you to understand is that I did what I thought was necessary to save the life of a teammate and a friend. Reid's alive, and with some patience and support from his friends, he'll move past this."

"I'm afraid he won't be able to, Rossi," Morgan said, admitting that fear out loud to someone for the first time.

"He will. It'll be slow, but he will. Calling me was step one. The events that have taken place the last few months have affected us all. We've all have to decide how we're going to deal with things. I've been at this a while, and I can accept Hotch, JJ and Emily's actions as an unfortunate necessity of them doing the job. I'm just as relieved as you that Emily is alive and back with us, but after doing this job as long as I have, you learn that losing people is just a fact of life. You accept it as part of doing your job; any day you could lose someone. I came to that realization a long time ago, Morgan. But not everyone has, not everyone is able to," Rossi said, knowing that his teammate before him was probably one of those people. "Ultimately, how Reid chooses to deal with things may not be how we prefer, and some bridges might be irrevocably burned, but he'll find a way past this."

Morgan nodded but didn't say anything. After a few moments of silence, Rossi spoke again.

"Where is Reid?"

"Out on the back porch," Morgan replied.

Rossi nodded and started toward the back yard. Morgan let him get halfway across the room before speaking up.

"Hey, Rossi."

Rossi stopped and turned back toward Morgan. "Thanks for saving Reid's life out there. I may have taken things out on more than just an unsuspecting wall if things had turned out differently."

A small smile came to the older man's face and he nodded slightly before continuing on his way. As Rossi headed out onto the back porch, Morgan returned to the kitchen to retrieve the items he had come in for.

_**A Week Later:**_

SSA Spencer Reid sat in the corner booth of a local bar, with a live band making the normally noisy atmosphere even louder. However, it also drew most of the other patrons' attention, which Reid thought could very well be a good thing given who he was waiting to meet. Nervously, he wiped his sweaty palm along the top of his leg. If it weren't still in a sling, despite having started therapy, Reid would have been wiping his other hand too.

"If you're having second thoughts about this, I can call her and tell her we'll do this some other time."

The sound of Morgan's voice at his side caused him to jump. The older man placed Reid's ginger ale down on the table in front of him as Reid looked up.

"No. Don't do that," Reid replied, afraid that if he put this off he would never get the courage to even think about doing this again. He had finally accepted that speaking with Emily at least once had to be done. Whether it went as well as his conversation with Rossi had, well that remained to be seen.

Morgan sat down across from Reid, taking a sip from his own glass as he did so. The older man looked across the table. Reid was currently staring at the rising bubbles in his glass as if they were the most interesting things in the room. Not for the first time, Morgan wondered if he had pushed too much - If this meeting between Emily and Reid was just going to make a difficult situation worse.

"Did you know that is believed that Ginger Ale started out as a homemade concoction in England and Ireland back in the 1840s though it wasn't a soda drink at that time? It wasn't until the 1860s that it became what nowadays would be considered a Golden Ginger Ale."

Morgan smiled, not so much because of the information that was being given or his interest in it, but because he wanted to encourage Reid to continue. Morgan knew that spouting the information was an outlet for the younger man's nervousness.

As Reid continued to tell him how prohibition played a role in the development of the soft drink and the emergence of the dry style of Ginger Ale, Morgan glanced toward the entrance. It wasn't long before he saw her walk in the bar. Wearing the same tailored pants suit that he had seen her in at work today, Agent Emily Prentiss stood just inside the door, looking around for the two co-workers she was meeting. As she turned her head in their direction, Morgan raised his arm in the air and motioned to her. Reid stopped speaking and looked over his shoulder as Emily started making her way through the crowded bar. Morgan scooted over as she approached the table, making room for her.

"Glad you could make it," Morgan told her, as he lifted his glass again.

"I was glad to get an invitation," Emily replied easily, trying to mask her own nervousness. She looked away from Morgan and across the table at Reid. "Hey, Reid. It's good to see you."

"Hi," he replied, still concentrating on the pale yellow beverage before him.

"How's the shoulder?"

"Getting better."

Emily glanced over at Morgan, who simply shrugged his shoulders. Though he was there for moral support - for both of his friends - he was determined not to interfere in what transpired. Prentiss and Reid needed to sort things out on their own. Looking back at Reid, Prentiss considered her next words.

"I'm glad you finally agreed to meet with me. I've missed you."

Reid swallowed hard at the sentiment but didn't say anything. Picking up his glass he took a quick drink of the cool carbonated liquid, knowing he _should _say something but not sure if he _could - _for once he had nothing to say. He had missed her too, but that had been when he had thought she was dead. Now, he wasn't sure what he felt.

"I realize this isn't easy for you, Spencer," Emily said, the seldom used first name sounding strange on her lips. Still, his last name had seemed too formal and she was trying to lighten up the awkward situation. "It's not easy for any of us and I did contemplate not coming back but the simple truth is that I was selfish. I missed all of you too much to stay away."

Reid opened his mouth, the words "_I'm glad you didn't stay away_," on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't find the courage to voice them. He closed his mouth again. All he could think about was her leaving him again. He could see her walking away this time, her back to him, without a second thought just like his Dad, Elle, and Gideon.

Reid finally looked up, his eyes falling for the first time on his friend and co-worker whom he thought he had lost for good. Losing people was something he knew how to deal with, having dealt with it so many times before. The idea of getting someone back, someone he thought he had lost, was a foreign concept to him and he didn't know how to react. Looking across the table though he saw the uncertainty and sadness that he was feeling mirrored in Prentiss' dark eyes. It was too much for him.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked, getting to his feet.

"A Sprite would be nice," Prentiss replied, trying to mask her surprise at the sudden move.

Reid nodded and started toward the bar, silently berating himself. This was the first time he had seen her in over five months, and the only thing he could manage to say was to ask her if she wanted a drink. He was pathetic. No wonder people left him all the time.

Reid purchased the drink at the bar and slowly made his way back his colleagues. At the table, Morgan and Prentiss were engaged in conversation. To Reid they looked as at ease with one another, as they always had. It was like nothing had changed. That they had just picked up and continued right where they had left off, like there had simply been a five month hiatus. Perhaps the problem wasn't with the others. Perhaps it was just him.

Reid contemplated heading for the exit, figuring they wouldn't miss him for a while, though as he was still staying with Morgan he knew he'd have to explain himself eventually. Still, it would bide him some time to sort out his own feelings. Spotting an unoccupied table, Reid was about to deposit the glass in his hand on it, and head for the door when Morgan looked up. Realizing he'd missed his chance of escape, Reid continued to their table.

"Here you go," Reid murmured softly as he placed the glass in front of Prentiss.

"Thanks," Prentiss replied, as Reid slipped into the seat across from her. "You're coming back to work on Monday, aren't you?" Prentiss ventured, deciding to start a conversation about work in order to work up to the most pressing matter between them right now.

"On light duty. Not much I can do except paperwork and even that is going to take me longer than usual with only one hand."

"Don't be modest, Kid, you'll probably still get through the paperwork faster than me," Morgan commented.

Reid felt his cheeks flush at the comment.

"I'm glad you're going to be back but I think that means that you and I need to discuss things. Work will be quite awkward if we're not talking."

"We're talking. And I would be civil at work. But, what do you want me to say? Do you want me to pretend that everything is fine? That I didn't go through the hell of grieving for you these past five months? That Hotch and JJ didn't lie to me?"

"No, Spencer. No more pretending. I just want to know if you can forgive me. If you can accept me back as at least your teammate for now."

"There's nothing to forgive," Reid told her, finally looking up from the table top to meet her gaze again. "I know you were doing what you needed to do to survive and I'm happy you're alive - I'm happy you're back. I am."

"But?" Prentiss prompted gently.

"I'm afraid to get close again. To give you the opportunity to hurt me, though I know you didn't do so with malicious intent, it still hurt."

"I know. It hurt me too. The only thing that got me through it was knowing that I was doing it to keep you all safe." Prentiss paused, watching Reid closely. He reached out for his glass and took a slow drink from it, breaking eye contact with her again. "If you need me to, I'll take a position with another field office."

"Do you want to do that?" Reid asked quietly.

"No."

"Then don't. I won't be the reason that you're doing something you don't want to do."

"What about you?" Prentiss asked. Reid looked at her, the question clear in his eyes. "Morgan said you were talking to Cooper about joining his team. Do you really think I want to be the reason you're changing teams? I don't want that either, Reid."

"It's more than just you coming back," Reid told her.

"So you're still thinking about it?"

Reid nodded.

"For what it's worth, I hope you don't." Prentiss said, knowing that she would be staying with the BAU. She couldn't take another position in good conscience think Reid would blame himself for her leaving. "I know things can't go back to how they were Reid, but I really want you in my life again - even if it's just as a co-worker."

"I've missed you, Emily," Reid said softly, his eyes locked on the glass in front of him. As she reached across the table to place a hand on top of his, he let his gaze slide to their hands.

"Those are the best words I've heard all day," Emily told him.

A silence fell over the three friends. It was a comfortable silence albeit fragile. The awkwardness of the situation had melted away with Reid's last words, though all three knew one wrong word would shatter that. After a few minutes, it was Morgan who broke the silence.

"A toast," Morgan said, lifting his glass. He waited until the other two looked up and had picked up their own glasses. "To new beginnings."

"New beginnings," Reid and Prentiss echoed, as the three tapped their glasses lightly together before drinking to the toast.

Things weren't completely back to normal for the profilers, but for the first time in a long time, it felt as if they were heading in the right direction.


End file.
